An Introduction to the Grimms' Fairy Tales & Some Varied Interpretations
LIT7-5b-Tue2
Terry Lee
This course will take place in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier.
October 15 - November 12
Through an introductory look at some of the iconic Grimms' tales, we will explore ways of understanding the stories beyond some common nursery school interpretations. Brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm first published Kinder- und Hausmärchen (i.e., Children's and Household Tales) in 1812, and many of the stories depict violence and long-suffering heroes and heroines. We will consider why children, who are familiar with modern-day sanitized tales (i.e., Disney versions), are also drawn to Grimms' versions, some of which feature murder, incest, and mutilation. To expand upon our own responses to the tales, we will use the insights of folk tale experts Jack Zipes, Maria Tatar, and Verena Kast, as well as insights from three psychological perspectives: those of Sigmund Freud, Carl J. Jung, and Karen Horney.
We will begin by looking at some of the many interpretations of "Little Red Riding Hood" (aka the Grimms' "Little Red Cap") and how the tale speaks to us on a few levels, including that of the mother-daughter relationship. We will explore a father-daughter relationship, and its incestuous implications, in the Grimms' "Thousandfurs." In our readings of "The Juniper Tree" and "The Spirit in the Bottle," we will take a look at Greek mythological antecedents, Philomela and Tereus and Mercury, where mysterious transformations occur. Through discussion, we will explore both our personal responses and those of folklorists and psychologists to give us a richer understanding of the tales noted above and a few more.
More facilitated discussion than lecture.
Grimms’ Tales for Young and Old: The Complete Stories. Ralph Manheim, translator. 1983. (ISBN-13: 978-0385189507; ISBN-10: 0385189508) The Kindle version of this book became available in 2011. Note: For this course, please be sure to get the Manheim translation and not a book with a similar title but different translator. The Hard Facts of the Grimms’ Fairy Tales: Expanded Edition by Maria Tatar. Princeton University Press, 2019. (ISBN-13: 978-0691182995, ISBN-10: 069118299X). Any other materials will be posted online by the SGL as pdfs that will be available at no cost via links to an online syllabus.
2 hours/week.
Terry Lee, PhD, is a retired professor of literature who has taught courses in psychological approaches to literature, including fairy tales. He had a varied academic career, specializing in 17th- and 18th-century British literature, feminist and men's-studies approaches to literature, journalism (his first career was as a journalist), and documentary studies. He is a volunteer at Hebrew Senior Life Hospice Care in Dedham, where he produces life-story legacy videos for patients.